Welcome to HVAC-Talk.com, a non-DIY site and the ultimate Source for HVAC Information & Knowledge Sharing for the industry professional! Here you can join over 150,000 HVAC Professionals & enthusiasts from around the world discussing all things related to HVAC/R. You are currently viewing as a NON-REGISTERED guest which gives you limited access to view discussions

To gain full access to our forums you must register; for a free account. As a registered Guest you will be able to:

Participate in over 40 different forums and search/browse from nearly 3 million posts.

I've always enjoyed the "other" method of taking the cast iron sections apart. A 14 pound sledge and a good face shield. I agree with the order but the much smaller peices left by the "sledge mehod" are easier to handle.

Probably 4-6 sections

Still would want to use leverage to get the sections out, the lift out would be around 5 feet, too high to be comfortable.
Pretty sure I'm high on this one, the competition used to be a used car salesman. (True story)
With luck I can post some more horror pictures, those of his install.

Having literally broken my back setting a boiler, I stronly recommend using any lifting advantage available. Sometimes the "short cut" winds up taking several years to recover from. I am however, very serious about using sledge to break the cast iron into smaller peices. If this boiler is as old as it looks the cast will be brittle. The first few, maybe up to 10 or so, blows will bounce pretty hard and then after that you will start hearing a difference in the sound. Then on one hit, it will shatter if your lucky, and if not you just get a big hole. From there you move out and the peices can be as small as you want.

Again a good clear face shield, I use long welders gloves, and a good heavy pair of jeans, with a heavy shirt. A hard hat that will stay on and something to protect you ears.

The other things this does is provide an oppurtunity to a lot of stress release. If you do get the job be careful, that beast has been changed down so long its hard to tell where it will go!

the boiler looks pretty old, Ill bet Jesus did the original start-up. The chain looks even older. BUT the in line filter looks pretty new..... I wonder if the filter element is as old as the mother in law????????